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This compilation explains better than anything else why we started Licking Fingers in the first place. (Well, technically in second place, as our first motif was purely egoistical; we had formed a band called The Concretes and we needed a way to get our albums onto Scandinavian store shelves.) It became very clear at an early stage that we weren’t alone in our search for a nice, warm home – with high ceilings, an ocean view, fabulous taste in music and interior decoration. But you don’t want just anyone to move in with you (as sir Alec McGuiness made
perfectly clear in ‘Ladykillers’ way back in 1955) so it took us a while to unlock those gates.
We are so happy we did. The first person to stroll in was Frida Hyvönen, pointing six very muscular and handsome young boys in the direction of the Licking Fingers banquet room, giving them careful instructions not to damage her grand piano in any way whatsoever had they the desire to live to see their 20th birthday. In her other hand she was carrying ten perfect pop songs, carved in ivory and neatly folded in a little bundle she referred to as ‘Until Death Comes’. That was in 2004. Three years later there’s another knock on the door. Enter the most adorable dog (dawg?) we’ve ever seen. And curiously, although she was wearing a very stylish collar, she appeared to be homeless. She was El Perro del Mar and she was looking for shelter.
We couldn’t possibly put in to words how proud we are to house two such marvellous talents. (Not to mention our own genius landlord selves.) And though we’d like to think that we really couldn’t do much better we can’t help but notice that Sweden has come a long way since the early days of Licking Fingers (our 10th anniversary is coming up soon). A very long way.
We get asked about this all the time. What is the secret? How come Sweden sports so many incredible musical talents? Is it the long dark winters? The suicide rates (we all know true artists must suffer)? The government fundings? Is it the boredom we all surely juggle with, living as we do in such a remote and tiny country? Is it the early indoctrination of ABBA and their unique blend of bittersweetness and
bombasticity (is that even a word?)? Has Britt Ekland and Rod Stewart anything to do with it? Could it be something in the water? OR is it something to do with those mythical open sandwiches??? (Yes the rumours are true, we eat but one slice of bread and then our spread of choice on top of it, and then no extra lid of bread – nor do we slice it diagonally before digging in).
Truth is we don’t know. We all have our theories but we can’t know for sure.
We know one thing: This compilation brings together, for the first time ever, twentyone of those incredible talents. Twentyone of the twentyfirst century’s finest, finest acts. Some of them are just starting out, others have already conquered the
world (in a sensible Swedish social-democratic kind of way). All of them have contributed with truly terrific songs. All of them from the artists’ most recent offerings, some of them very recent indeed –
spanking fresh if you will, in some cases previously unreleased, in others rare tracks. One by one they are great, side by side they are something else.
So, Sweden as a nation may not know who to thank for the music. But we sure as hell know: To all who contributed to this record.
Thank you for the music.
Licking Fingers, spring 2008.
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I wanted to make something as unfashionable as an album in the classic sense of the word – in terms of its composition and the idea of a theme. The theme itself was initially something as simple yet complex as heaven and it led me into a wide and seemingly endless search for a means, a language in which to express myself. Although during this time I was, even though I mostly didn't realize it, following a certain train of thought – that of love, grief and loss, solace and hope, deepest despair and wildest childish euphoria – to the lowest and the highest of heights.
In many ways one could say that 'From the Valley to the Stars' is created out of an intellectual idea – the music turned up only after the language, the literary as well as the harmonic, was created. And at that moment it was as if the music did not belong to me. As if someone else had written it. In some strange way I felt as if it had existed all along. Somewhere. In the ground? In the heavens? Just like when you start humming a tune you're not sure where you picked up or where you heard it before. This is the way I think that which we often call 'folk music' works – like timeless melodies striking something deep within us; from deep down in the soil, from high up in the sky.
Now I am not saying that my idea was to make folk music, but I was searching for that timelessness; the grand mystery of it all that has been ringing within our hearts since the beginning of time. I wanted to make something that in its character might appear more like a hymn or a psalm but in a pop costume. But more than that, I wanted to make something completely void of cynicism and bitterness.
As far as possible I tried to let the recording process be as free and organic as possible. Many takes are first ones. In contrary to my first album which generally was guitar oriented, I mostly play the piano or organ on this one. I myself have been in charge of all recording, production and mixing. Contributing to the album in an incredibly important way have been guitarist and bassist Jesper Jarold (also known from the Gothenburg based duo Fontän) and Nils Törnqvist on drums. They came into the process when most of the album was finished, though still in a quite chaotic state. Despite that, they managed, with great sensitivity, to grasp what I wanted to achieve. I am forever in their debt. Also contributing in a beautiful way are musicians from The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Björn Bohlin (oboe), Charles Deramus (double bass) and Lisa Ford (horn) as well as musicians and friends alike Kristin Lidell (trumpet) and Björn Synneby(vocal and sitar), he also known from the duo pacific!.
With love
El Perro del Mar / Sarah Assbring
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How Did We Forget is the first single taken from El Perro del Mar's forthcoming album From the Valley to the Stars. The b-side is the wonderful and exclusive You Hit Me (It's a Crying Shame).
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KEEP YOURS EP
Keep Yours is taken from the Hey Trouble album and is a short, sweet and synthy little number about discovering that grass is more or less equally green everywhere. The EP also includes two marvellous remixes. The first one is by Kleerup - the Stockholm madman/whizzkid who wrote and produced Robyn's UK #1 single, With Every Heartbeat, and who with the snap of his fingers manages to turn Keep Yours into italostyle proper trancepop. Kleerup is already on his way of becoming a household name in UK
dancemusic circles but the gem that is the vocal harmonies of Gothenburg duo pacific! will surely follow in his footsteps (pacific! are already, literally, making waves in Tokyo). With their beautiful and quite different take on the same song, they seem to have signed up The Concretes for surf lessons with Dennis Wilson in California. Last but not least is a brand new version of the Hey Trouble's lonesome
marching drum ballad, Souvenirs, which this time returns with a groove almost fit for dancefloors. And speaking of groove, listen carefully and you'll probably figure out why it's referred to as the Dreams Version.
